49ers this week

David White

Published
4:00 am PST, Wednesday, December 8, 2010

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks congratulates free safety Earl Thomas #29 near the end of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Qwest Field on December 5, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks defeated the Panthers 31-14. less

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks congratulates free safety Earl Thomas #29 near the end of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Qwest Field on December 5, 2010 in ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

Photo: Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

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SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks congratulates free safety Earl Thomas #29 near the end of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Qwest Field on December 5, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks defeated the Panthers 31-14. less

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks congratulates free safety Earl Thomas #29 near the end of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Qwest Field on December 5, 2010 in ... more

Photo: Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images

49ers this week

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What just happened: The 49ers blew a chance to show they can run with the big boys by letting a one-point game get away after halftime in a 34-16 loss at Green Bay. They couldn't run, they couldn't throw, they couldn't stop the run, they couldn't stop the throw. The ghost of not drafting Aaron Rodgers lives.

What's on deck: Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is quarterback Alex Smith's cue to re-enter the starting lineup. He'll get one more chance to leave his mark as the team's No. 1 overall draft pick of 2005 when he starts against Seattle.

About those Seahawks: Pete Carroll's team has lost four of six games, and yet there it sits, tied for first place in the woeful NFC West. Beat the 49ers and the Seahawks have only St. Louis mathematically between them and a playoff berth.

Last time: Carroll won big in his return to the NFL with a 31-6 season-opening victory at Qwest Field by way of four touchdowns in seven minutes. The preseason-favorite 49ers were put in their place, and they've remained there ever since then.

Player to stop: Free safety Earl Thomas. Remember when 49ers safety Taylor Mays was ticked that Carroll, his coach at USC, didn't draft him? Maybe now he understands why. Thomas is tied for fifth in the NFL with five interceptions. Mays isn't even playing on defense.

On the hot seat: Head coach Mike Singletary. What else is new? He must win Sunday to keep his team in playoff contention, and by extension, his job safe. If the move back to Alex Smith works, great. If it doesn't, this will not end well, though it will end soon enough.

He said it: "I don't want to get into the playoff talk. I probably shouldn't have really gone there. Just know that we're really excited about this weekend and Seattle because we know what it means to us."

- Singletary

By the numbers

The Seahawks are tied for 10th in the NFL with 29 sacks, with 12 different players who have sacked the quarterback. They face a 49ers offensive line that is 24th with 30 sacks allowed.